CHENNAI: A clinical mistake by doctors while guiding her out of the birth canal meant Manisha Ramadass's right arm got damaged even before she was born. Eldest among two sisters, Manisha underwent three surgeries till she turned 12 but the damage could not be undone completely. Even as her parents were trying to fix the problem, the resident of Tiruvallur district in Tamil Nadu found a way to overcome the tragedy by turning to sports.
She was in class 5th when she started focusing on badminton. And after seven years of rigorous training and hard work on the court, she became the world champion in her category (SU5) on Sunday. In SU5, the player has an impairment of the upper limbs.The 17-year-old Manisha clinched the gold even as India finished the campaign with 16 medals at the BWF Para-Badminton World Championships in Tokyo. She beat local star Mamiko Toyoda 21-15, 21-15 in the women's singles SU5 finals.
"The injury happened due to the doctor's negligence. They used too much force to pull me out and thus damaged my right arm," the para shuttler told this daily from Tokyo. The birth injury meant Manisha could not straighten her arm. At the age of four, she underwent surgery. She went under the knife twice when she was 12, however, the injury remained. "The surgeries helped me recover by 60 per cent," she added.
She made her debut at the para-badminton state-level tournament in 2019 but couldn't compete at the nationals as the Covid-19 pandemic next year shut the sporting activities across the globe. She made up for the lost time last year when she won gold in singles and doubles at the para-badminton nationals.
"The good show in the nationals helped me break into the national fold. I won a gold each in singles and doubles at my first international meet — the Spanish Para-Badminton International II 2022 — in March. I also bagged a mixed doubles bronze at the event," said Manisha.
After her maiden appearance in Spain, Manisha won two gold at the 4th Fazza Dubai Para-Badminton International in May. The Tokyo event is her fourth international tournament and she now wants to focus on the Asian Games scheduled next year. "My immediate goal is winning gold at the Asiad. The podium finishes there will boost my confidence for the 2024 Paralympics as, like any other athlete, my ultimate aim is to secure medals for the country at that event."
The injured right arm forced Manisha to become a southpaw but she is not bothered as long as she is excelling on the court. "I don't care about it (birth injury) as long as I am winning medals on the court," she signed off.